5 Takeaways: Bobby Petrino previews Virginia

Louisville football coach Bobby Petrino spoke to the media on Monday afternoon, two days after his team's 45-point win over Murray State and five days before the Cards' road trip to Virginia.

The line started out favoring Louisville by 10 points, but it's already dipped down to 6.5, meaning Virginia's first two games gave Vegas bettors enough of a sample to think the Hoos can keep it close.

Nonetheless, Louisville expects to get running back Michael Dyer back into the fold this week and is the favorite going into Saturday's game.

Here are five quick thoughts from Petrino's press conference. I'll have the transcript and full story up later today.

1. Will Gardner's the guy. Petrino affirmed what I tweeted out on Saturday: No matter how well Reggie Bonnafon played on Saturday, "There's no question Will Gardner's our starting quarterback," Petrino said. Gardner has been their guy since January. That won't change because of a good game from a backup against an FCS opponent. What Bonnafon's performance does ensure, though, is a confidence if Gardner goes down and an ability to impact games if they need him to.

2. Yards after catch. Louisville isn't getting enough yards after catches, Petrino said on Monday. That's a big part of the offense, and the Cardinals need to do a better job at it. There's a lot of speed at the position, with Eli Rogers and James Quick really having good game speed, but it's not getting used. That'll be a focus this week.

3. Limiting turnovers. Petrino said Virginia pressures quarterbacks well, an attribute that has helped yield nine takeaways in the first two games. That presents a big challenge for Louisville's offensive line and Will Gardner, who protected the ball on Saturday after losing two fumbles in the season opener. Petrino doesn't plan much "more emphasis" on ball security, because they always focus a lot on it, but it'll still be a top priority this week.

4. Completing deep balls. Another big point of Petrino's chat on Monday was the need to hit deep passes. Against Miami, Louisville tried five, by my count, and only hit one or two. A 34-yard completion to Matt Milton and a 27-yard touchdown grab by Michaelee Harris were the two big ones on Saturday. The receivers have drawn pass-interference calls, but that's not enough, Petrino explained. Keep an eye out for that on Saturday, especially with Quick.

5. Prepping for UVA. We've said it in this space already today, but a feisty Virginia team presents an unexpectedly tough challenge for Louisville after a sharp start to the season. Petrino was impressed with the pass rush, as I noted above, and knows a dual-threat QB like Matt Johns can keep Louisville's defense honest. He's also intrigued at how his team handles its first road trip. And don't forget, this is Louisville's first regular game week of the season.